


A Voice That's Perfect for the Shower

by lilbookofkell



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alcohol, Background Cisco/Hartley, Background Iris/Barry, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2015-07-03
Packaged: 2018-04-07 11:46:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4262163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilbookofkell/pseuds/lilbookofkell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Linda Park is a goddamn traitor. </p><p>Or, five times Caitlin Snow embarrassed herself singing karaoke and one time someone else did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Voice That's Perfect for the Shower

**1.**

  
Caitlin doesn't know why she thought this would be a good idea. She’s never had any illusions about her singing ability, not since fifth grade when her teacher gently suggested that maybe she should just mouth the words to “What a Wonderful World” during their elementary school graduation ceremony. It’s only been downhill since then. Her only real excuse is that drunk Caitlin is an idiot and should never make another appearance ever again.

 _Never_.   
  
Barry’s a good singer, but her appreciation is dulled by her awareness of how very not good she is in comparison. Barry is nice enough not to point it out, and when she comments on his own talent he just laughs it off. She wants to press it more but she's suddenly feeling sick to her stomach and the rest of the night becomes a blur of bathroom, parking lot, vomit, super speed, her apartment and finally bed.   
  
She endures some light teasing about it the next day before it gets swept away by more pressing issues and the only lasting effect of the night is a strong conviction to never sing karaoke ever again.

 

* * *

 

**2.**

 

She sings karaoke again.

It starts with Cisco declaring he needs a drink.

"I need ten," Linda responds. She claps Cisco on the back and steers him out of the lab, "come on, I know just the place."  
  
Linda has been a been a part of "Team Flash" for two weeks now, ever since she helped them stop a metahuman baseball-player-turned-bad-guy. For the most part Caitlin is quite pleased with the addition, especially when Linda says things like "first round’s on me."   
  
Other times Caitlin is less pleased with their newest member, like when she takes them to a karaoke bar.  
  
Cisco is excited though, which is good. She's been worried about him lately, with everything that's happened in the past year. Being kidnapped, his brother’s recovery, Wel- no, _Eobard_ — Caitlin can see all these things and more weighing on his shoulders, ghosts behind his smile. He doesn't talk about it. She wishes he would, and wishes even more that she were the type of person who could make him. She knows how painful carrying around grief can be. She carried the weight of Ronnie’s death for over a year and even now, when he's standing beside her, laughing at Iris and Barry goofing off on stage (and sounding amazing despite it) she still feels the aftershocks of it.   
  
Barry and Iris rejoin them at their table, giggling and high off of their performance and the applause of the bar patrons. It doesn’t escape the rest of the team that the two of them held hands all the way back to the table. They’ve been circling around each other in an awkward pre-relationship stage for...well for the entire time Caitlin has known them if she’s being honest, but seriously for the last three months. Caitlin wants them to be happy together, but she’s also kind of hoping it doesn’t happen for at least another month. There’s a betting pool involved and she wants the extra money for a new bookshelf.

"You two are disgusting," Linda says, handing Iris her drink. Iris sticks her tongue out at the other woman and downs the rest of her cocktail in one go. Linda laughs and raises her own glass in admiration, then leans forward with a wicked grin.   
  
"So did Barry ever tell you how he and I met?" Linda asks. She's trying to make herself sound sweet and innocent and it doesn't work even a little bit. Iris eyes her warily and Barry stiffens beside her.   
  
"At a bar, right?" Iris says, glancing at Barry for confirmation. She suddenly looks doubtful, suspicious, and Caitlin can see her silently running through lies Barry has told her in the past year. Linda must see it too, because she quickly knocks shoulders with Iris and her smile softens into something less teasing and more playful.   
  
"This bar. He was singing karaoke."  
  
Barry groans and hides his head in his hands while Iris laughs. Caitlin ducks her head and prays she's not pulled into this. Linda wouldn't do that do her, right?   
  
"He and Caitlin sang a particularly rousing rendition of _Summer Nights_. It left quite the impression."  
  
Linda Park is a goddamn traitor.   
  
"Hold up, you guys did karaoke without me?" Cisco asks. He gives Caitlin a look of complete betrayal. "I've been trying to get you to do karaoke night with me for like, two years Cait, what the hell?"  
  
He's joking, but there's a weight behind it that makes Caitlin feel suddenly sick to her stomach. It feels a bit like the way picking Cisco’s skin out from under her nails after her encounter with Roy Bivolo did.

She takes a deep breath, steals Linda's drink out of her hands (screw you Linda), finishes it, grabs Cisco's hand and pulls him toward the stage.   
  
"Just one song," she tells him.

Cisco is practically vibrating with excitement — or maybe that’s just his metahuman abilities, they’re still trying to figure those out — and he picks some funk song Caitlin barely recognizes, despite the fact that his duet partner is quite possibly the whitest person imaginable. Caitlin sighs - this is going to be _horrible_.   
  
Cisco, of course, sounds great. She knew he would, she's heard him sing around the lab before. He's talented and energetic and charming and the crowd adores him just like she knew they would.   
  
He's also a much better friend than she deserves because he only looks a little amused when she starts to sing. Which is more than she can say for the rest of the bar.   
  
She feels humiliated, but Cisco hugs her before they're even off the stage and his smile is relaxed and his shoulders aren’t tense and he laughs all the way back to their table where Ronnie pulls them both into a group hug, so she thinks it was worth it.

Just so long as it never happens again.

 

* * *

 

**3.**

 

Caitlin can't believe this keeps happening.   
  
They're back at the bar, and Joe is with them for once. Which is simultaneously both completely understandable and also a little weird. Because Joe has been part of their team for almost as long as there's been a team but he's also, like, Iris's dad? Like, he's a _lot_ older than the rest of them. But Iris was on the team after him which is weird, so weird, why was that?  
  
Iris laughs and asks, "Yeah dad, why was that?" Caitlin is confused for a second before she realizes that she's been saying things out loud. Oops. She glares at her empty glass (glasses? How many of these are hers?), because she should not be this drunk. Maybe she should cut herself off.   
  
"Yeah, I think you're done for the night," Ronnie says, taking her glass away from her. Oops, more thinking out loud.   
  
Ronnie leaves to get her a glass of water, which means she's now standing next to Joe. Who she just kind of sort of called old. More oops.   
  
Joe doesn’t seem angry though. He’s smiling when he asks, "So Dr. Snow, am I too old to hang with you hip young kids?"  
  
"Dad, no one says ‘hip’ any more."  
  
"Excuse me young lady, I'm asking Caitlin."  
  
"Oh nooo," Caitlin insists, "no no you're very...you're very hip. You're just as hip as me. Probably." Someone is laughing at that. Ronnie's still trying to get her water, so it’s probably Cisco. Joe is laughing at her too, which she’d normally be upset about but Joe has a nice laugh so it’s okay.

Shit, she really hopes she didn’t say _that_ out loud.

No one comments on it, so probably not. Linda leans over and pats Caitlin on the shoulder. “Caitlin's very hip, we could all learn a thing or two from her in terms of...hipness," Linda says. Linda’s probably making fun of her a little bit but Linda is also very pretty and she bought Caitlin a colorful drink with a little paper umbrella in it earlier so Caitlin forgives her.

"Oh, I see," Joe says, "and how exactly does one get to be as hip as Caitlin?"

Iris, Barry, Cisco and Linda exchange a Look. Linda grins.   
  
"Well, hip people sing karaoke."  
  
And because drunk Caitlin is an _idiot_ who does not learn, she immediately grabs Joe’s arm and says, "Yes, yes, Joe let's sing together! Let's do it, come on!" He laughs and lets her pull him toward the stage.   
  
It's only after they get in front of the microphones and the music starts that Caitlin realizes this might've been a mistake. Then Joe starts singing and yes, yes this was absolutely a Bad Idea.   
  
Joe sounds amazing. Like, gospel choir blowing the roof off of the church amazing. He's soulful and powerful and so ridiculously charismatic that Caitlin momentarily forgets that a) she is married and b) this is Iris's _father_.   
  
She also forgets to start singing her part until Joe nudges her.   
  
She's never had to do the walk of shame before but she feels like that's an appropriate way to describe the trek between the stage and their table, where their friends are still clapping and whistling. Caitlin gets there a lot faster than Joe — he gets pulled aside by no less than three different people who want to give him their numbers.   
  
Ronnie is waiting for her when she finally gets there, with a smile and a tall glass of water. She bypasses the water and buries her head in his chest.   
  
"Don't let me do this again," she tells him. He laughs and, careful not to spill any water on her, wraps her in a tight hug.  
  
"I promise I will not let you do this again."

 

* * *

 

**4.**

 

He lets her do it again.   
  
It's been almost three months since Hartley officially became part of the team when Linda finally declares that they are all going out to a bar and they are all going to get “completely shitfaced. Especially you, Hartley. I love you but you have a major stick up your ass."  
  
In a surprising display of maturity, Hartley doesn't protest either the team bonding activity or even the fact that he's an asshole. He just rolls his eyes and follows Linda out the door. Caitlin doesn't really understand Linda and Hartley’s friendship — as far she she can tell it consists mostly of standing off to the side and making judgemental faces together whenever someone else says something they deem worthy of it — but she's grateful for it nonetheless. Linda's influence isn't the only reason Hartley has become tolerable (the fact that there's no pseudo-father around to desperately try to impress is probably the biggest factor, followed by the fact that being in near death situations together on a pretty regular basis is great for team bonding), but it doesn't hurt.   
  
So they go to the karaoke bar, at which they are now apparently considered regulars, much to Caitlin’s horror. Everyone else's good moods and the thrill of surviving this week's disaster — plus a couple of drinks — seems to blunt Hartley’s sharp edges more than usual. He even laughs at few of Cisco's jokes, which makes Cisco practically glow with pride. The two of them have been civil for the most part these last few months but they only really started getting along in the past three weeks. (Apparently getting held hostage together is also a great bonding experience. Caitlin never thought she'd be grateful to Leonard Snart, but here they are.)

They all have a couple of drinks in them when Linda punches Hartley in the shoulder and declares that it's time for his official team initiation.   
  
"You have to sing karaoke," Linda says, "everyone else has, and you're not a real part of team until you do."  
  
Caitlin and Ronnie glance at each other and silently decide not to bring up the fact that Ronnie has not actually done karaoke with them either, so it's not _really_ a requirement to be a part of the team. But even without them saying anything, Hartley does not seem convinced.   
  
"Absolutely not," he says.   
  
"Aw, come on!" Cisco says, clearly ecstatic at the prospect of tipsy Hartley making a fool out of himself.   
  
"I'm deaf," Hartley says, conveniently ignoring that while his hearing aids don't completely reverse his hearing damage by any means, karaoke is well within his capabilities and they all know it.   
  
"Not gonna work asshole ," Linda says, "you can talk, you can sing. And I know you still listen to music, like, all the time, so try again."  
  
Hartley levels a glare at her which is ruined by the fact that he's clearly trying not to smile.   
  
"I am not getting up on that stage to embarrass myself for your amusement."   
  
"What if someone went with you?" Cisco asks. He looks like he's about to volunteer but Hartley glances around the table and because the universe absolutely hates her, he settles on Caitlin.   
  
"I'll go if Caitlin goes," Hartley declares. The smug look on his face makes it clear that he thinks she'll refuse and he'll be off the hook. He's not as smart as he thinks he is though because he has greatly underestimated how good Cisco's puppy dog eyes are, or how weak she can be to them. She sighs and pushes away from the table.   
  
"Let's get this over with."  
  
Hartley is taken off guard, but he's too proud to back down now so he follows her up to the stage. To Caitlin's mortification, a few other regulars at the bar recognize her and cheer when she gets up. Cisco and Linda owe her a million drinks for this.   
  
"I'll pick the song," Hartley tells her, and then seems to remember that he's trying to be a better person and adds, "if that's alright with you?" She nods and he starts looking through the options.  
  
"I don't think they've got any classical opera on there!" Cisco yells from his seat. Hartley doesn't flip him off, he's too dignified for that, but from the look he shoots Cisco it's definitely implied. He picks a song and something that is much more top forties than Caitlin was expecting starts to play.

It might be her imagination, but Hartley actually seems kind of nervous. She's considering telling him to go sit back down but then vocals start and he starts singing and she decided that she absolutely cannot do that because Hartley sounds good. Like, _really_ good. The rest of the bar clearly agrees and their approval seems to calm Hartley’s nerves. His initial reservation melts into something that could almost be considered coy and sexy, which are not terms she's ever thought to apply to Hartley before, despite the fact that he's clearly good looking. It’s really weird but she’s not complaining.   
  
When Caitlin joins him he stumbles over himself in surprise but he recovers quickly. He's clearly amused and doesn’t bother to hide it, but it doesn't seem cruel and that’s an improvement that she's thankful for.   
  
They return back to the table amid hoots of approval from their friends and a smattering of applause from the other bar patrons. Caitlin immediately retreats to Ronnie’s side, slipping under his arm and allowing him to press a kiss to the top of her head. Iris slaps Hartley on the arm. Barry makes a move to do the same before he thinks better of it and just pats him awkwardly on the back instead. Linda hands him a drink.   
  
"Well that's interesting" Ronnie whispers, just loud enough for Caitlin to hear. He nods to where Cisco is sitting next to Hartley.   
  
Cisco didn't do anything when Hartley sat down. Cisco was too busy staring wide-eyed at Hartley and looking more than a little flustered. His reaction doesn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the table, including Hartley, who looks ridiculously pleased with himself.   
  
Ronnie nudges her shoulder and whispers, "watch this."  
  
"Hey Cisco!" Ronnie says, "I think you're up man, go show us what you've got."  
  
Cisco jumps at the suggestion, practically speed walking to the stage to get away from Hartley, who seems either really smug or really flirty. It's Hartley, so possibly both. Caitlin settles against Ronnie’s side and watches Hartley watch Cisco as he climbs on stage. His reaction when Cisco starts to sing is almost worth getting on stage herself.

 

* * *

 

**5.**

 

Martin Stein can sing and that's bullshit. It's complete and utter bullshit. Caitlin tells him so.   
  
"This is bullshit," she says. Martin seems taken aback.   
  
"Excuse me young lady?"  
  
"I'm done. I can't. I'm done, I'm..." She throws her hand up and walks off stage, leaving Dr. Stein standing flabbergasted as the entire bar is filled with drunken laughter and the karaoke version of _Islands in the Stream_.

Some of that laughter is coming from her so-called friends. Cisco is practically doubled over, trying to hide his face is Hartley’s shoulder, which is a little hard when said shoulders are shaking with their own laughter. Iris is trying really hard not to laugh, but that might just be so that she doesn't fall off Barry's lap. Barry gives Caitlin a sympathetic smile, but he's giggling too so it doesn't mean much. Linda can't stop grinning and Caitlin hates her.   
  
"You," Linda says, "deserve all the alcohol in the world." She slides a shot glass of something clear across the table to Caitlin.   
  
"Tequila?"   
  
"Patron," Linda confirms. Caitlin decides she can probably forgive Linda for now.   
  
She throws back the shot and settles against Ronnie's side, despite the fact that he is a traitor who keeps letting her do this. She can feel him shaking with suppressed laughter from where he's pressed against her. She steps on his foot but he just wraps his arm around her tighter.   
  
"Never again," she says. Ronnie hooks his chin over her shoulder and holds her close. "Promise me, never again."  
  
"Never again," he says. He crosses his heart and kisses her on the cheek and Caitlin feels a little better.  
  
(That might be the patron though.)

 

* * *

 

**+1**

 

"Wow."  
  
"That was..."  
  
"Bad."  
  
"No I mean-"  
  
"Bad, it was bad."  
  
"Is it safe to turn my hearing aids back on?"  
  
Caitlin's pretty sure Hartley didn't actually turn off his hearing aids but she clumsily tries to tell him not to be rude in ASL anyway. Judging by the looks on his, Linda, and Cisco's faces, she probably told him something else entirely. She's really got to practice this more.   
  
"No but seriously man," Cisco says, "that was like, next level bad."  
  
"I know right?" Ronnie says, looking particularly pleased with himself. "I told you I wasn't kidding."  
  
"That deserves a drink," Linda says, pushing away from their table. "Beer?"   
  
"Yes please," Ronnie says, "Keystone?"  
  
"You've got horrible taste," Linda informs him with a pat on the back before heading to the bar.   
  
Ronnie laughs it off and sits next to Caitlin. He presses close to her and takes her hand to intertwine their fingers together under the table. He ducks his head so he can talk to her with a bit more privacy.   
  
"So, what did you think?"  
  
She kisses him.   
  
"Absolutely horrible." She tells him. He laughs and pulls her in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an incredibly self indulgent thing to make up for the fact that we probably won’t get a musical episode despite having a plethora of musical theater people on the show. Fingers crossed though.
> 
> For those wondering what the character’s karaoke attempts might sound like:
> 
>   * [Barry and Caitlin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTcxZ58fKOI) (from the show) 
>   * [More Barry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNRrPLyTy_s%20)
>   * [Cisco](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5psA05XbtI)
>   * [Joe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac3a49-sj3A) (Bonus Cisco and Eddie)
>   * [Hartley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYlaqqTJH_U) (Please imagine this is the song Hartley is singing ~~at Cisco~~ because of reasons) 
>   * [Martin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwjiATPjCXE)
> 

> 
> [Bonus Linda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9zq_r2T5z4%20), who wasn’t included as one of the five singing with Caitlin because I didn’t find out that she could sing until I was already editing this fic. 
> 
> I have no idea of Robbie Amell/Ronnie can sing. I’m sure he’s not horrible.
> 
> Title is adapted from "[Sing!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DeR6wAafHw)" from _A Chorus Line._
> 
> I'm [lilbookofkell](http://lilbookofkell.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you want to chat.


End file.
